Sloviansk Under Siege (PHOTOS)

Sloviansk Under Siege (PHOTOS)

05.05.14 7:10 PM ET

Marko Djurica/Reuters

The mother of 21-year-old nurse Yulia Izotova mourns at her funeral in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine on May 5, 2014. Witnesses say Izotova was killed by shots from a Ukrainian military column on the road from Sloviansk to Kramatorsk, joining a small but gradually growing list of dead in a month-old uprising.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

An injured pro-Russian armed man is helped out of a car by a medical staff at a hospital at the eastern Ukrainian town of Sloviansk, a rebel stronghold. Pro-Russian separatists ambushed Ukrainian forces on Monday, triggering heavy fighting on the outskirts of of Sloviansk.

Vasily Maximov/AFP/Getty

A man shows cartridges found on the ground near a railway crossing, after night fights in Andreevskoe village, near Sloviansk on May 3, 2014. Ukraine expanded a military operation to seize ground from rebels in the east, following the bloodiest day in the country since the Western-backed government in Kiev came to power.

Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

Armed pro-Russian activists carry tires to make barricades near the seized regional government headquarters in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine on May 5. Four Ukrainian paramilitary police were killed in fighting on Monday with pro-Russian separatists near the rebel stronghold of Sloviansk, the interior ministry said.

Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty

Ukrainian troops guard a checkpoint near Sloviansk. Four Ukrainian troops were killed and 30 wounded in intense fighting around the rebel-held town, the interior ministry said. The ministry added that the pro-Russian gunmen controlling the town were using civilians as human shields and were shooting from houses, some of which were on fire.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier inspects machinegun bullets at a checkpoint.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

Civilians talk with Ukrainian troops at a checkpoint near the town of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine May 2. Pro-Russian rebels shot down two Ukrainian helicopters on Friday, killing two crew, as troops tightened their siege of separatist-held Sloviansk and Moscow accused Kiev of launching a "criminal" assault that wrecked hopes of peace.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

A pro-Russian separatist guards a checkpoint near Sloviansk.

Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty

AFP/Getty

Four pro-Russian militiants lay on the ground with hands tied after being arrested on suspicion of the implementation of MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems ) shots to a helicopter of the Ukrainian forces on May, 2 at a checkpoint near Sloviansk.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

A pro-Russian separatist shows Ukrainian bullet casings at a checkpoint.